Re: Rioting. Is this the war aim?
Cinderella,
I wouldn't push the panic button just yet. It's still very early in the contest of wills.
America has lived though far worse during the 1960's. There was the "Peoples Revolutionary Brigade" , comprised of armed Black Panthers. Who, for a short time, made it look like it was going to be civil war. However, it petered out and people lost interest. Native Americans took control of Alcatraz Island and declared it "Indian Land". That too petered out. There was also the Symbionese Liberation Army and the Weather Underground.
The "autonomous zone" right now is probably filled with a sense of euphoria. But, that will not last long. A few weeks or a month at most. People will begin to trickle away and eventually only the hard core will remain. Folks will miss sleeping in their own beds and sitting down to good meals.
Keep in mind that any time the State Government can easily call out the National Guard and sweep the streets clean. Yes, it would be bloody but the radicals don't have the firepower or the skills necessary to hold ground in the face of trained armed troops.
The way things stand right now, the mayor is letting the radicals stew in their own juices and wear themselves out. Seems quite intelligent to me.